Objective To explore the therapeutic effect of astragalus polysaccharides (APS) on high fat-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in rats. Methods Totally 36 male SD rats were randomized into normal control group (n=8) and disease model group (n=28). The rats in the disease model group were fed with high-fat diet for 6 weeks to establish rat model of NAFLD. Twenty-five of 28 NAFLD model rats were randomized into NAFLD model group (n=7), simvastatin group (n=9, intragastric administration of simvastatin [6.7 mg · kg-1 · d-1]) and APS group (n=9, intragastric administration of APS [700 mg · kg-1 · d-1]). The rats in the normal control group and the NAFLD model group were intragastrically given the same volume of double distilled water. The rats in each group were continuously fed for 8 weeks. The dietary intake, energy intake, drinking water, excretion and serum biochemical parameters were compared between the four groups. Liver tissues were collected to calculate the liver index and measure the contents of total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG). The liver tissue structure and cell morphology were observed under the optical microscope. Results The energy intake of rats in the NAFLD model group was significantly higher than that in the normal control group (P<0.05), and the dietary intake, drinking water and excretion were significantly lower than those in the normal control group (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in dietary intake, energy intake, drinking water or excretion between the simvastatin, APS and NAFLD model groups (all P>0.05). Compared with the NAFLD model group, serum levels of TC, TG, lowdensity lipoprotein-cholesterol and malondialdehyde were significantly decreased, and the level of high-density lipoproteincholesterol and the activity of total superoxide dismutase were significantly increased in the APS and simvastatin groups (all P<0.05). The contents of TC and TG in liver tissues, and the number and area of lipid droplets in hepatocytes were significantly decreased in the APS and simvastatin groups versus the NAFLD model group (all P<0.05). The serum levels of glucose, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were significantly lower in the APS group than those in the NAFLD model group (all P<0.05), while there were no significant differences between the NAFLD model group and the simvastatin group (all P>0.05). Conclusion APS can effectively regulate the levels of serum glucose, blood lipids and hepatic lipid droplets in NAFLD rats, which may be related to the antioxidant effect of APS.

OBJECTIVETo study the degeneration and regeneration of skeletal muscle after denervation.

METHODSDenervation was carried out in gastrocnemius muscles in 30 adult BALB/C mice by cutting the sciatic nerve. The gastrocnemius muscles were removed at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16 weeks after denervation, respectively. Specimens were processed for histological study and immunohistochemical technique.

RESULTSMuscle fiber atrophy followed by degerneration and regeneration was observed in the early period of denervation. Fusion of the regenerated muscle cells with each other followed by degeneration of the cells and growth of fibro-connective tissue were observed in the later stage. The expression of myoglobin and actin decreased in 1-4 weeks after denervation. The postive expression of the proteins was observed in some 8 weeks' cells and in many degenerated 12-14 weeks' muscle cells.

CONCLUSIONDegeneration and regeneration may coexisted in the denervated muscles. The regenerated muscle cells can't fully develop due to the deficit of nerve regulation and degenerate again. The regenerated muscle cells will melt each other and can't develop to mature muscle fiber in the later stage.

Animals ; Female ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Muscle Denervation ; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal ; pathology ; Muscle, Skeletal ; innervation ; physiology ; Muscular Atrophy ; physiopathology ; Nerve Regeneration ; physiology ; Sciatic Nerve ; physiology ; surgery

Animals ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Depression/drug therapy* ; Fluoxetine ; Mice ; Stress, Psychological ; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Objective To evaluate the effect of schistosomiasis control and prevention in Yangxin County from 2004 to 2015,so as to provide the evidence for improving the work of schistosomiasis transmission interrupted and elimination in the fu-ture. Methods According to the endemic types and endemic regularity of schistosomiasis in Yangxin County,the comprehen-sive control strategies were adopted,and the programs related to sanitation,water conservancy,forestry,and agriculture were implemented continuously. The schistosomiasis control effects in this county from 2004 to 2015 were analyzed and compared. Re-sults After the implementation of the schistosomiasis comprehensive control strategies in Yangxin County ,the calculated num-ber of patients reduced from 22240 in 2004 to 1471 in 2015,the infection rate of residents reduced from 8.57%in 2004 to 0.16%in 2015,the number of patients with acute schistosome infection reduced from 64 in 2004 to 0,and no cases of acute schistosomiasis found since 2009. The infection rate of cattle decreased from 8.87%in 2004 to 0. The area with Oncomelania hu-pensis snails and the area of susceptible zone reduced from 3446.21 hm2 and 1111.59 hm2 in 2004 to 2285.75 hm2 and 41.28 hm2 in 2015 respectively,and the schistosome-infection rate of snails reduced from 0.76%in 2004 to 0. Conclusions Since the comprehensive control strategy implemented from 2004,the endemic situation of schistosomiasis in Yangxin County has de-creased significantly. However,the harness force of the Fu River as well as the control of infection source of livestock still should be strengthened to consolidate the control achievement.

OBJECTIVEThe study was designed to compare the antithrombotic property and safety between nadroparin and unfractionated heparin during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

METHODSA prospective, single blind, randomized study was performed. A total of 98 patients (aged 65.1 +/- 8.6 years, female, 28.6%, diabetes, 7.1%) undergoing selective PCI were randomized to be administered intravenously either nadroparin (0.075 ml/10 kg) or unfractionated heparin (100U/kg) for procedural anticoagulation, in whom stable angina was 42.9%, unstable angina, 27.6%, myocardial infarction, 29.6%, two or three-vessel disease, 23.5%, stent, 100%. Blood samples for anti-Xa level were assayed in the first 22 patients of the nadroparin group before and after administration at the following intervals: 8 min, 1 h, 2 h and 4 h. Bleeding complications were classified according to Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) criteria. The bleeding index (change in hemoglobin) was calculated. All patients were monitored for adverse clinical events (i.e. death, myocardial infarction, need for revascularization) during the period of 30 days after PCI.

RESULTS(1) There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two randomized groups. (2) Plasma anti-Xa activities were 0.10 +/- 0.00 IU/ml at the time just before the administration of nadroparin, 1.89 +/- 0.24 IU/ml, 0.96 +/- 0.24 IU/ml, 0.47 +/- 0.13 IU/ml, and 0.30 +/- 0.12 IU/ml at the time of 8 min, 1 h, 2 h and 4 h after the use of nadroparin (and the rate of > 0.5 IU/ml were 100%, 100%, 45% and 9% patients), respectively. (3) There were no significant differences in the mean bleeding index, post-PCI hemoglobin and hematocrit between nadroparin and unfractionated heparin group [(1.16 +/- 5.80) g/L vs (0.90 +/- 6.50) g/L, P = 0.858; (129.5 +/- 13.6) g/L vs (125.5 +/- 14.9) g/L, P = 0.175; (39.0 +/- 3.9)% vs (37.9 +/- 4.6)%, P = 0.205]. (4) None of the patients in two randomized groups were observed hemorrhagic events, which including TIMI major or minor bleeding complications, gross or microscopic hematuria, melena, positive stool occult blood. There were no blood transfusions and no hematoma at the vascular access site in either of the group. (5) No death, no recurrent angina pectoris, and no urgent revascularization occurred within 30 days in both groups. One patient in nadroparin group was observed "no reflow" phenomenon that was accompanied with an elevated ST segment and a risen serum level of cTnI. This patient was diagnosed as non-Q-wave myocardial infarction. Though no myocardial infarction was found in unfractionated heparin group, there was no significant difference in the rate of myocardial infarction between the two groups of the study (P = 0.970).

CONCLUSIONSThe administration of nadroparin before PCI seems effective and safe. Compared with unfractionated heparin, nadroparin was associated with neither an excess of bleeding nor an increase of clinical complications in this study.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; methods ; Antithrombins ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Heparin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; therapy ; Nadroparin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Prospective Studies ; Single-Blind Method ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUNDAcute kidney injury (AKI) has been recognized as a major healthcare problem affecting millions of patients worldwide. However, epidemiologic data concerning AKI in China are still lacking. The objectives of this study were to characterize AKI defined by RIFLE criteria, assess the association with hospital mortality, and evaluate the impact of AKI in the context of other risk factors.

METHODSThis prospective multicenter observational study enrolled 3,063 consecutive patients from 1 July 2009 to 31 August 2009 in 22 ICUs across mainland China. We excluded patients who were admitted for less than 24 hours (n = 1623), younger than 18 years (n = 127), receiving chronic hemodialysis (n = 29), receiving renal transplantation (n = 1) and unknown reasons (n = 28). There were 1255 patients in the final analysis. AKI was diagnosed and classified according to RIFLE criteria.

RESULTSThere were 396 patients (31.6%) who had AKI, with RIFLE maximum class R, I, and F in 126 (10.0%), 91 (7.3%), and 179 (14.3%) patients, respectively. Renal function deteriorated in 206 patients (16.4%). In comparison with non AKI patients, patients in the risk class on ICU admission were more likely to progress to the injury class (odds ratio (OR) 3.564, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.706 - 7.443, P = 0.001], while patients in the risk class (OR 5.215, 95% CI 2.798-9.719, P < 0.001) and injury class (OR 13.316, 95% CI 7.507-23.622, P < 0.001) had a significantly higher probability of deteriorating into failure class. The adjusted hazard ratios for 90-day mortality were 1.884 for the risk group, 3.401 for the injury group, and 5.306 for the failure group.

CONCLUSIONSThe prevalence of AKI was high among critically ill patients in Chinese ICUs. In comparison with non-AKI patients, patients with RIFLE class R or class I on ICU admission were more susceptibility to progression to class I or class F. The RIFLE criteria were robust and correlated well with clinical deterioration and mortality.

Acute Kidney Injury ; epidemiology ; etiology ; pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; statistics & numerical data ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVES: To investigate local cerebral blood perfusion in preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) based on cerebral blood flow (CBF) values of arterial spin labeling (ASL). METHODS: A prospective study was conducted on 90 preterm infants with a gestational age of <32 weeks and a birth weight of <1 500 g who were born in the Department of Obstetrics and admitted to the Department of Neonatology in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from August 2021 to June 2022. All of the infants underwent cranial MRI and ASL at the corrected gestational age of 35-40 weeks. According to the presence or absence of BPD, they were divided into a BPD group with 45 infants and a non-BPD group with 45 infants. The two groups were compared in terms of the CBF values of the same regions of interest (frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, thalamus, and basal ganglia) on ASL image. RESULTS: Compared with the non-BPD group, the BPD group had a significantly lower 1-minute Apgar score, a significantly longer duration of assisted ventilation, and a significantly higher incidence rate of fetal distress (P<0.05). After control for the confounding factors such as corrected age and age at the time of cranial MRI by multiple linear regression analysis, compared with the non-BPD group, the BPD group still had higher CBF values of the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, basal ganglia, and thalamus at both sides (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS BPD can increase cerebral blood perfusion in preterm infants, which might be associated with hypoxia and a long duration of assisted ventilation in the early stage.
Infant ; Pregnancy ; Female ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Infant, Premature ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology* ; Prospective Studies ; Gestational Age ; Cerebrovascular Circulation

BACKGROUNDUrine output (UO) is an essential criterion of the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) definition and classification system for acute kidney injury (AKI), of which the diagnostic value has not been extensively studied. We aimed to determine whether AKI based on KDIGO UO criteria (KDIGOUO) could improve the diagnostic and prognostic accuracy, compared with KDIGO serum creatinine criteria (KDIGOSCr).

METHODSWe conducted a secondary analysis of the database of a previous study conducted by China Critical Care Clinical Trial Group (CCCCTG), which was a 2-month prospective cohort study (July 1, 2009 to August 31, 2009) involving 3063 patients in 22 tertiary Intensive Care Units in Mainland of China. AKI was diagnosed and classified separately based on KDIGOUOand KDIGOSCr. Hospital mortality of patients with more severe AKI classification based on KDIGOUOwas compared with other patients by univariate and multivariate regression analyses.

RESULTSThe prevalence of AKI increased from 52.4% based on KDIGOSCrto 55.4% based on KDIGOSCrcombined with KDIGOUO. KDIGOUOalso resulted in an upgrade of AKI classification in 7.3% of patients, representing those with more severe AKI classification based on KDIGOUO. Compared with non-AKI patients or those with maximum AKI classification by KDIGOSCr, those with maximum AKI classification by KDIGOUOhad a significantly higher hospital mortality of 58.4% (odds ratio [OR]: 7.580, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.141-13.873, P< 0.001). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, AKI based on KDIGOUO (OR: 2.891, 95% CI: 1.964-4.254, P< 0.001), but not based on KDIGOSCr (OR: 1.322, 95% CI: 0.902-1.939, P = 0.152), was an independent risk factor for hospital mortality.

CONCLUSIONUO was a criterion with additional value beyond creatinine criterion for AKI diagnosis and classification, which can help identify a group of patients with high risk of death.

Acute Disease ; mortality ; Aged ; Creatinine ; blood ; Critical Illness ; mortality ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Kidney Diseases ; blood ; mortality ; pathology ; urine ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and its risk factors in very preterm infants (VPIs) during hospitalization in China. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study was performed on the medical data of 2 514 VPIs who were hospitalized in the department of neonatology in 28 hospitals from 7 areas of China between September 2019 and December 2020. According to the presence or absence of EUGR based on the evaluation of body weight at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks or at discharge, the VPIs were classified to two groups: EUGR group (n=1 189) and non-EUGR (n=1 325). The clinical features were compared between the two groups, and the incidence of EUGR and risk factors for EUGR were examined. RESULTS: The incidence of EUGR was 47.30% (1 189/2 514) evaluated by weight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher weight growth velocity after regaining birth weight and higher cumulative calorie intake during the first week of hospitalization were protective factors against EUGR (P<0.05), while small-for-gestational-age birth, prolonged time to the initiation of total enteral feeding, prolonged cumulative fasting time, lower breast milk intake before starting human milk fortifiers, prolonged time to the initiation of full fortified feeding, and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were risk factors for EUGR (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS It is crucial to reduce the incidence of EUGR by achieving total enteral feeding as early as possible, strengthening breastfeeding, increasing calorie intake in the first week after birth, improving the velocity of weight gain, and preventing moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VPIs.
Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors